Thursday, December 6, 2012

Learning to trust the Fuzz

Welcome to the Body: AMAZING Carnival!

This post was written as a part of the Body: AMAZING Carnival co-hosted by Jennifer of True Confessions of a Real Mommy and Amy of Anktangle. Carnival participants were invited to write about how we learn to appreciate the ways our bodies grow and change. Our posts explain some incredible ways our bodies impress and amaze us.

Please read to the bottom to find a list of submissions from all of today's carnival participants.

It happened every winter. The cold. The chill. The long pants. It was so easy to hide. Why take up my precious shower time to shave what can't be seen? I already stopped using shampoo and conditioner on a regular basis and seen positive results.

I never did like all the work, dry skin, ingrown hairs. And I had been working on accepting my body. Trusting that my body works the way it does for a reason. So, why wouldn't that apply to body hair? Also, who decided that hair is ok on men, but unhygienic on women? The very idea that women could not be sexy with body hair bothered me. Women are meant to have body hair. When we reach puberty it starts developing along with our other changes. It is an outward sign of our maturity. Removing seemed to point toward a drive at sexualizing the prepubescent hairlessness of young girls. That was really the place that lead me to the decision to stop removing my leg, armpit, and pubic hair. When my daughter was grown, how would I explain this to her?

I feel relieved to not have to worry about this grooming practice anymore. I still wear skirts and shorts when the occasion or weather call for it. Only rarely do I make an effort to cover what is not an unnoticeable amount of hair. I feel it is just part of who I am. My shower time can now be a focus on caring for who I am, almost meditative as the hot water runs over me, rejuvenating and relaxing me. This is my time. No worry to what the rest of the world expects of me. I am soft and fuzzy all over. That is just how my body works and part of who I am.

More to read and love about honoring our bodies at these other blogs. Please visit them all and leave some comment love!

Destany at They Are All of Me writes about releasing the negative notions she was taught about her period, and embracing it instead.

Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children talks about how she had to push through her pre-conditioned comfort level and found herself in a position to naturally be open and honest with her children. More great stuff from Mandy on Facebook.

Lauren at Hobo Mama is not a runner . . . but she proved herself wrong by completing a race. Keep up with Lauren's adventures on Twitter and Facebook.

9 comments:

Oh this is wonderful. I never thought to consider the routine shaving of body hair on women as an effort sexualize the hairlessness of prepubescent girls, but it makes sense. Women are told they come with an expiration date and we are in a constant battle to make ourselves seem younger, lest we advertise our impending obsolescence. Afterall, historically a woman was considered to be getting too old to marry as she pushed upwards of 16 years old. :(I never stopped to consider the origin of the practice but I can see it beginning as an effort to make us appear more youthful, young and fresh. It's kinda gross when you think of it that way.

Love this post! I don't shave routinely, but am occasionally moved to do so. I do so love spending my shower time focused on relaxing than grooming! I would love to hear more of your thoughts on discussing this with your daughter!

I have also struggled with what shaving body hair represents, and whether or not I want to be a part of that. I have stopped shaving (at least for now), and I've come to a similar peace with how my bathing routine has simplified. I love reading how you've come to accept this part of how your body functions. Thanks so much for hosting this carnival, JW!

I have been struggling with letting go of shaving. I manage to wait a long time between, but I eventually start feeling weird and start all over. I hope soon I can find a way to come to peace with what I want (to not shave anymore) like you have.

You've been one of my inspirations for rethinking (again) shaving vs. not. This summer I went on my family vacation unshaven (or, as we might like to put it, normal), and it was actually freeing to be in a swimsuit and shorts around people who probably thought I was a dirty hippie. ;) I just felt like myself: a grown woman.

Like Shannon, I haven't entirely converted. I do shave sometimes still, if I'm feeling like it. And I have more of an aversion to my armpit hair than any other hair. I don't mind seeing other people's hairy pits, but for some reason, mine skeeve me out once the hair reaches a certain length and density (and not really that much growth), and I'm trying to get over that.

I've mainly given up on shaving out of laziness (and the fact that I love my showers to be relaxing above all else!), but haven't yet gotten to the point of being able to reveal my hairiness to the general public. I definitely admire the idea...something to think more on for sure...

I love reading your position on this. It's almost like poetry the way you write about embracing your body just as it is! Though I feel more comfortably physically when I do remove my body hair, I don't shave nearly as much during the winter, because my skin gets very dry and irritated with the cold weather.

I meant to mention that it was totally a personal preference thing. Like cutting that hair on our head. Once I realized WHY I was shaving, I realized it wasn't for me. At least not at this phase of my life.